40,000 birds risk contracting bird flu

The Ministry of Food and Agriculture has revealed at a workshop that more than 40,000 poultry birds are at risk of contracting H1N1 vrius popularly known as bird flu.

The Ministry said a total of 36 locations in Ghana recorded outbreaks of the disease in 2015, with 76,000 birds culled in order to prevent the disease from spreading to other birds. 26,000 other birds however died of the disease in the said year

Already a total of 13 sites have recorded outbreaks with 26,000 birds have been destroyed and another 10,000 have died naturally from the disease in 2016.

Dr Williams Amanfu, a consultant of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations who spoke at the workshop organized by the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) to engage the media in reporting accurately and promoting poultry industry about bird flu said the persistent spread of the disease could be “attributed to the behaviours of poultry famers, despite interventions, talks and seminars” on the proper handling of the animals.

A specialist at the Veterinary Services Department in Accra, Dr Anthony Akunzule, on the other hand has assured that the poultry birds available on the markets are wholesome because of the ban of movement placed on infected birds.